


Lesser of Two Evils

by tromana



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Apologies, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-29
Updated: 2012-10-29
Packaged: 2017-11-17 07:57:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/549311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tromana/pseuds/tromana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lisbon bails Jane out after his most recent stunt gone wrong...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lesser of Two Evils

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Katrina aka bromfieldhall in the Paint It Red Great Stocking Exchange 2012.

Teresa Lisbon crossed her arms as she stared bitterly at the receptionist. The poor man behind the desk continually averted his gaze; it was almost as if he believed she was blaming him. It wasn’t his fault that she was sat here, waiting, but it didn’t stop her from being annoyed and more than willing to show it. For some reason, it felt like time was slowing down; every time she looked at the clock barely a minute seemed to have passed. She let out a heavy sigh and checked her watch. There were far more important things she could have been getting on with. Instead, she was stuck here, alone, waiting impatiently for a certain member of staff to deal with her.

Eventually, the sound of approaching footsteps broke up the monotony. A uniformed officer stopped in front of her and her heart almost sank at the large file clasped in his hands. She should have known that it would come down to this, but even so, Lisbon had more than enough of that to do at work. Wordlessly, the man motioned for her to follow and she obliged. He took her into his office, where he shut the door tightly behind them before regarding her.

“It’s good to meet you, Agent Lisbon,” the man started and proffered a hand, which Lisbon shook. “Though I wish it could have been under more amiable circumstances.”

“Likewise, Detective O’Hara,” she muttered. “Shall we..?”

“Of course,” O’Hara answered back, sitting down. “You must be _very_ busy at the CBI.”

She didn’t acknowledge the statement either way. In truth, as interesting as it was for her to finally meet the newest director of the Sacramento Police Department, she still wanted this meeting over and done with. They should never have been introduced under such circumstances, and she was still angry about this. Again, O’Hara wasn’t the reason for her frustration, but he was getting in her way. As soon as she had dealt with O’Hara, then she could go and deal with the specific individual who was the current cause of all her misery.

“About Patrick Jane,” the man continued when Lisbon didn’t respond. “You said on the phone this was a part of an undercover sting?”

“Yes. Jane was working undercover with members of my unit in order to find the persons responsible for the homicide investigation we’re currently working on.”

“And were you successful?”

“The case is still under investigation,” she said bluntly.

There was no way she was going to share details of any of her cases with this new official in Sac P.D. Of course, if necessary, Lisbon found it easy enough to work with other agencies on cases. However, in this instance, there was no need to share details pertaining to the case. Besides, Lisbon was more than aware that she was lying through her teeth in order to get Jane off the hook. It was for the greater good, she told herself. From the very first time she’d met him, she’d realized that she wanted to save him from himself. If that meant she had to continue putting her career (and life) on the line, then so be it.

Eventually, she managed to persuade O’Hara that she was telling the truth, without having to ‘compromise’ the case she was working on. He understood perfectly well about confidentiality, and therefore, he didn’t bother to press her too hard whenever she grew cagier. In a way, she felt a little guilty for this. Technically, O’Hara had been well within his rights and instead, she was making it appear that he had been in the wrong. He had no reason to be so apologetic, and yet, she was forcing him to apologize profusely. Silently, she told herself to make sure that Jane knew that he owed her for this.

But then again, Jane always owed her for _something_. When it came to him, there was absolutely no point in expecting repayment in kind. He barely had anything he could give, anyway. She was more than aware of what she had signed up for when Minelli put him under her charge. And she wasn’t willing to back away any time soon. Sometimes, she simply saw him as being her personal challenge. The rest of the time, she knew that there was the innate goodness inside of him that was worth fighting for. Jane needed consistency, somebody he could rely on. As far as Lisbon was concerned, she was that person.

After she’d signed two different forms releasing Jane to her care, O’Hara sent for him to be released from the Sac P.D. holding cells. As he walked through the doors – still handcuffed, she noted – he wore a slightly sheepish expression on his features. Lisbon sent him a pointed look and he glanced away as one of the officers uncuffed him. Quickly, she stood up to give her wayward consultant another cursory look over before shaking O’Hara’s hand one final time. At least now she could get him out of here, give him the dressing down he deserved and then, maybe, actually get on with the case they were supposed to be working on.

“I’m very sorry if we have compromised your case in any way, Agent Lisbon,” O’Hara said as he led them out of the building. “If we had _known_ this was a part of your undercover sting, we would never have gotten involved.”

“And thank _you_ for being so understanding,” Lisbon replied primly and placed one hand on the small of Jane’s back. “Come on, Jane.”

xxx

It wasn’t until they were back at the CBI headquarters when Lisbon started to get really angry with Jane again. During the brief drive back, she had remained in a stubborn silence, despite his many attempts to elicit some kind of response from her. Usually, she gave into him easily, but the bubbling pit of anger was still simmering in her stomach. This whole situation had given her a severe case of déjà vu; she could remember bailing out Tommy once and practically dragging him home by the ears, feeling completely humiliated by his actions. But then, Jane had reminded her of her errant brother on more than one occasion in the past. She knew she shouldn’t have been surprised that sooner or later, she would end up having to persuade fellow law enforcement officers to let Jane off the hook.

He disappeared before she had a chance to reprimand him. In a way, she was glad for the brief reprieve. Jane already took up too much of her time and energy and she did need to try and recompose herself. However, she also knew that this wasn’t going to be resolved by her ignoring it and sweeping it under the proverbial carpet. This was one of those situations where she was actually going to have to deal with it head on, otherwise it was going to keep eating her up from the inside. Eventually, Jane appeared at her office door with his teacup in one hand and her mug in the other.

“There’s no need to look so pleased with yourself,” she snapped as he placed the coffee on her desk. “Damn it, Jane. You got yourself arrested. Why?”

“I don’t know. It seemed like fun. I’ve never been arrested by Sac P.D. before…”

“Really, Jane? _Really_?”

“We were trying to solve the case.”

“You should have told me! And don’t you dare claim that deniability is my friend.”

He didn’t answer. Jane took a sip of his tea and Lisbon had the irresistible urge to knock it straight out of her hand. Instead, she grabbed hold of one of her stress relievers and squeezed it tightly. Then, she let out a measured breath as she waited for a response which, deep down, she knew wasn’t going to come.

“Well?” she eventually said.

“Well what?”

“Did you get anywhere?”

“No.”

The silence enveloped them again once more and this time, it was as uncomfortable as ever. Considering his apparent lack of gratitude, Lisbon found herself seriously questioning why she even bothered. Really, she knew the answer to that, but it didn’t stop the thoughts from toying in her mind. Jane was like an overgrown child, unappreciative, easily distractible and prone to mood swings. An apology wouldn’t make everything better, but at least it would have been a start. However, this was Jane. He barely seemed to know when he done wrong, never mind bothered to try and make amends. It was times like this which made her think he might just have been a lost cause.

She ignored the coffee and turned back to her computer. Lisbon could feel Jane’s eyes on her still, but it didn’t bother her. Since he had joined her unit, she had grown used to working with an additional pair of eyes watching her each and every move. Besides, she’d said all she could to Jane without literally spelling out just how angry she was with him. And being him, she knew that he could read everything she _wasn’t_ saying in her body language anyway.

“Hey, Lisbon?” he said after ten minutes of silence.

“Mhm?”

“I’m sorry.”

There were occasions when she knew she wouldn't have been able to resist teasing him for actually managing to apologize. However, this wasn't one of those occasions. Besides, from the tone of his voice she could tell that he actually meant it, for a change.

"It's okay."


End file.
